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and includes sites of high botanical interest. From 2000 to 2004, volunteers sent by the environmental charity Earthwatch helped to gather biodiversity data to back the scientific case for the sanctuary. Using this research, Earthwatch and NCRC demonstrated to the tribal chiefs that the creation of a sanctuary would provide a profitable alternative to unsustainable hunting and fishing. Investment was made in infrastructure, equipment and training using funds from Earthwatch, with the aim of leaving behind trained individuals from the community to manage the sanctuary and providing the facilities for an eco-tourism enterprise. Today the sanctuary realizes annual revenue of around $30,000 from visiting tourists — which has more than offset the costs of creating the reserve and has helped the people in the region as well as the animals. " A total of 15 new jobs have been created and 10 non-direct jobs. Women have been able to earn an independent living through the sale of handicrafts, " Mason says. " Today all 17 villages have access to clean water, whereas only two did before. Solar lighting is being installed throughout Wechiau communities, and the roads have been improved. " The government of Ghana is not involved in the initiative, which is run by a local management board, but in 2005 gave it full endorsement. In recent years, NCRC has started to replicate this approach in five other locations in Ghana. Other conservation sites include one for white-necked rock fowl in the Brong-Ahafo region, one for manatees at Lake Volta, one for elephants and carnivores in Nyankamba and a sanctuary for colobus monkeys in Boabeng-Fiema. At the Avu lagoon, local communities have set aside 150 square kilometres for the protection of the Western sitatunga — the world's only aquatic antelope. In the Fanteakwa district, the NCRC, in collaboration with Earthwatch and Cadbury–Schweppes, is setting up an eco-tourism initiative designed to enhance biodiversity in cocoa farming. " Preliminary research results indicate that cocoa grown in shaded conditions, where native trees are retained, substantially improves biodiversity on the cocoa farms, " says Nat Spring, Head of Research at Earthwatch (Europe). " Our long term goal is to support wildlife while helping Ghana's farming community to boost their livelihoods through a combination of improved farming practices and eco-tourism. " The project will introduce visitors to Ghana's cocoa industry and showcase the benefits of environmentally friendly cocoa farming. Guided visits and hiking trips …